


Glimmer

by FrazzledDragon



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bad at tagging, Basically a Klance centric Season 7 rewrite, Blindness, Fluff and Angst, Idk what i'm doing, Keith (Voltron) is a Mess, Keith gets poisoned and goes blind, Keith is anxious about EVERYTHING, Lance (Voltron) is a Good Boyfriend, Lance (Voltron) is a Mess, Lance helps him deal, Lance just wants to help a cute mullet-head in need, M/M, Poorly written PTSD???, Post Season Six, Pre Season 7, SICK SCENES IMPROV'D, Season 7 didn't happen???, ahhh, klance, not a doctor, slow burn???
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-14
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-06-27 04:05:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15677688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrazzledDragon/pseuds/FrazzledDragon
Summary: Keith gets poisoned and loses his sight.Lance is the only one available to help.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> THESE CHAPTERS ARE GOING TO BE SUPER SHORT BECAUSE I'M GOING TO CHANGE TO NEW CHAPTERS EVERY TIME I CHANGE PERSPECTIVE SO HOPEFULLY I CAN POST CHAPTERS IN BURSTS?!?! MAYBE?!?! IDK PLEASE TELL ME IF YOU LIKE IT/WHAT YOU LIKE ABOUT IT/ANY SUGGESTIONS THANKS AND GOOD NIGHT!!!

**Keith:**

We were on our way to Earth. We were almost home. We were so close. We were supposed to take care of a small skirmish on this moon, then head home.

Then something caused the lions to break down. We were forced to take the fight to the ground. We were fighting for our lives, the skirmish that was going to be a piece of cake in Voltron suddenly a tough battle in which the cards were stacked against us.

Then something stung against my skin and the world around me went blacker than black.

Instinctively, listening the bullets and beams of fire whiz past me, I sink to the ground, my pulse beginning to race with fear. I can hear the other paladins, fighting and calling out incoming enemies. The world isn’t dark, I realize with horrible sort of dread settling in my stomach. I’m  _ blind _ . Shaking and trying to calm down, I put my back to the chunk of building I had been using as cover, putting my shield up to protect myself as best I can. I rub my eyes to no avail.

“Sh-Shiro?” I call out over the comms. I trust Shiro more than anyone else in the world. Shiro can help me. Shiro can fix this. “Shiro, I need help.”

“Keith! What’s wrong?” Shiro calls back over the comms, but I can tell he’s in the middle of a fight and won’t be able to come to me. Shiro would never in a million years tell me he was too busy or that it was a bad time, but it’s bad time and whoever is shooting and stabbing at Shiro requires his attention first.

“I got hit with something... I’m blind… I’m safe for now… I’ll need help getting out of here…” It comes as an uncomfortable realization that I don’t know if I’m safe or not. Saying I am helps me breathe a little easier, but not much.

My breath catches at Shiro’s next words. I’m struggling to believe this is actually happening. It must just be a terrible nightmare. “I can’t cover you right now! Can someone go find and cover Keith? Last I saw, there were drones swarming the lions, so you need to be careful!”

“Got it!” Lance’s determined voice crackles in. My stomach drops. There is no one else I’d like  _ less _ to see me in this state. Lance will tease me, make fun of me, take advantage of me… I can’t take that right now….

Just thinking about it makes me panic even more, tears beginning to well in my eyes and my hands beginning to shake violently. I have to bite my lip to keep it together.

“Hold on, Keith!” Lance grunts into the comms. “I’ll be there in just a tick!”

The words seem to be of good intention, but they only serve to further my panic.

“I’m-I’m fine! Don’t worry about me! I’ll make it back on my own!” I would rather face the impossible odds of making it back alone then have anyone other than Shiro see me like this.

“Keith?” This time, Lance’s words did not crackle through the comms. I freeze, like there’s an enemy close by. “Keith, it’s Lance, okay? Listen, okay? I know this is scary, but it’ll be okay. I’m about a foot away, on the other side of your shield. It’s going to be okay. Let’s take this one step at a time, deal? This isn’t ideal for anyone involved. Can you lower your shield for me, please?”

I shiver but lower my shield. His voice is so much more calm and soothing than I was expecting, and his telling me where he is helps a lot. I’m still waiting for him to start teasing, but for now… For now, I guess this isn’t the worst it could be.

My whole body is shaking as I hastily wipe any trace of tears away. The battle is  _ so  _ loud, especially in the dark, so I can’t hear Lance breathe or move or anything. Knowing he is so close without really knowing is

terrifying. I chomp down on my bottom lip, trying to contain my already insurmountable fear. A bomb goes off not far enough away for my liking and I instinctually cover my head with my arms, like a child in a thunderstorm. I feel my ears and face flush with embarrassment.

“Keith, it’s okay… Deep breaths… I’m not going to make fun of you, okay? This isn’t funny, not to me, not to anyone.” I have no idea how Lance read my mind so perfectly, but I can’t help but be comforted. At least a little bit.

“W-Where are you…?” I stumble, mumbling curses as another bomb goes off.

“If you want, you can put your hands out in front of you and I’ll hold your hands. I can help you to your feet from there, if you’d like.”

I’m startled by the choice. I can’t help it. The situation is urgent, our surroundings dangerous, and our company armed. We don’t have a lot of room for choices, and here was Lance, making sure that nothing that happened wasn’t my choice. I doubt even Shiro would offer that much for me. But then, Shiro knows how much I trust him to make the right call. Knows I’d follow him forever.

I hesitantly reach my hands out in front of me, jumping a little as Lance’s soft, warm, long fingers gently wrap around mine. He must have taken off his gauntlets. “I’m right here, okay? Trust me, please?”

Lance sounds so soft. So calm. I can feel his pulse racing in his fingers and he sounds positively serene. I can’t seem to manage words, but nod, shuffling to get my feet underneath me as I stand.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is struggling to deal with his new circumstances.

**Lance:**

Keith looks as stiff as a board, perhaps even more so, his whole body vibrating with rapid shivers and shakes. I knew his PTSD sometimes came off as anxiety like this, but I don’t know enough about the source of his PTSD to really provide anything more than generic comforts. I resolve to continue treating him like I would want to be in this situation, but I can’t help but feel like I might be coming up short. He’s not saying it, but I know he’d prefer I was Shiro. A million times over, I’m sure. There’s a reason he only called for Shiro and not any of us for help.

“Keith, is it okay if I start leading you like this? Or is there a different way you’d prefer?” I try to keep my voice soft and calm, knowing that whatever is rolling through Keith’s mind at the moment is neither of those things.

Keith takes a shaky deep breath, his full-body quakes not quelling or even slowing down at all. Watching him, I briefly consider mentioning that the way he’s staring into space with his foggy, dead eyes is mildly terrifying, but decide against it. Keith nods. It takes me a second to recall what I asked, but I sigh in relief once I remember. We begin to walk, me walking backward, leading Keith, slowly guiding him toward Red.

“If you need anything, anything at all, let me know whatever works best, okay, buddy?” I don’t know where buddy came from… I guess I just got tired of using his name, over and over and over.

“Well, no shit,  _ buddy _ ,” Keith snarls, but he doesn’t sound like he means it. Maybe it’s the fact that his teeth are chattering, but I can’t be sure and am not going to waste time getting angry about it. A moment later, “Sorry, Lance… I didn’t mean it… I don’t know what came over me. I’m sorry.”

I figure it must have been his anxiety taking over, and gently squeeze his hands. “It’s okay, Keith. Take a deep breath. We’ll fix this, one way or another. Just work with me for a little while, okay? Shiro will be along later and everything will be just fine.”

“Thanks, Lance.” He genuinely sounds like he means it, though his face or posture gives nothing away.

We are quiet for a long time and the going is slow, since I refuse to make Keith go over or under anything. I feel my own kind of anxiety gnawing at me, irrationally worrying I would hurt Keith or lose whatever trust I had gained with him.

“Lance?” Keith says quietly, his voice trembling.

“Yeah? What can I do for you?” I stop, pushing against Keith’s hands to let him know to stop too.

“How… How much farther?” Keith flinches violently as another bomb echoes behind us. I can’t say I blame him. I want to get out of here too.

I, realizing I hadn’t actually checked in a while in my intense concentration, turn to check our progress and Red decides to scare me half to death. She has lowered her mouth so we could walk right in, with making any noticeable noise. Damn cat. Apparently, she has also taken care of the drones as well, as there are scraps and remains surrounding us. Convenient, albeit a bit late.

“Lance?!” Keith cries out, softly and fearfully, feeling the jolt. “Are… Are… Is everything okay?”

“Yes, it’s okay, everything is okay, deep breaths. We’re right in front of Red. I just didn’t notice. We’ll wait in Red until the fight is over, okay?”

“You won’t leave?” His voice has a little bit of the rasp he gets when he’s emotional, and suddenly I’m not sure what he wants from me.

“Wasn’t planning on it. I suppose if you’d rather my sweet voice didn’t serenade you through this rough time, I would leave.”

“Please don’t leave,” his voice a bare rasp, the most pathetic sound that I have ever heard in my life. A blossom of empathy spreads in my chest and I squeeze Keith’s hands gently.

“Then I’m not going anywhere, okay?” I can’t even begin to describe the relief that washes over his face. “It will be okay. Everything will be just fine. We’ll figure this out, alright?”

He nods, briefly. He seems like he’s about to cry, the way his breathing has gone all hiccupy over the last couple moments and his bottom lip is securely held down by his front teeth. I lead him slowly into Red, but he stops in the doorway before the cockpit, stiff and shaking. I try to catch a glimpse of his face, which is turned toward the floor, and see the tears welling in his eyes and rolling down his cheeks.

He’s breaking.

I don’t know what to do.

I gently, stepping closer and putting his hands on my shoulders, wrap him in a tight hug. It still kind of throws me off that he’s taller than me now, but we figure it out. For a moment, he just shakes in my arms, but then the floodgates open and his arms wrap around my neck and his hands latch onto my armor and he sobs into my shoulder.

Long, deep, heartbreaking, terrified sobs. I’ve never seen Keith express so much emotion in my life. Never have I ever seen him cry, not like this. I don’t know what to say, so I settle for humming softly, a Spanish song I know he’s never heard.

It's a long time before his sobs start to subside.


	3. Chapter 3

**Keith:**

I can’t believe I broke down like that. I’m not a crier. I feel like such a fool. I can’t even believe it. As soon as I can manage words, I say, “I’m sorry, Lance… I’m sorry I just… couldn’t… couldn’t stop...” I can’t make myself let go of him, though. He’s warm and soft and safe and smells nice, despite having just fought a tough battle.

He chuckles softly, stopping his gentle singing. “Keith, there’s nothing to be sorry for. You don’t have to apologize for anything at all, not a single damn thing until we fix your eyes, okay? Take some deep breaths. It’s okay. You’re in a really scary spot, dude, and I know I’m not your first choice or even probably your second choice to be your eyes. You’ve got a lot of stress on your shoulders. And everyone breaks down sometimes. I’m just glad you weren’t alone to do it. It’s all good, okay?”

“Thanks, Lance…” I whisper, feeling a little better though not much.

“That’s another thing you don’t need to say until you can see again, deal? I know you’re grateful. So does everyone else, okay?”

I finally let him go, but don’t back away, since I can’t know what’s behind me. I haven’t been in Red in so long as it is, but now… It’s been Lance’s lion for long enough I don’t know what’s changed. According to Allura, he personalized Blue as he pleased, so I don’t know if that was just Blue or if it was a Lance thing in general.

“How about we get you out of that armor, so you can be a little more comfortable? Maybe then you can take a nap or something. You’ve got to be tired. I know I would be.”

I’m actually about to start sobbing again, my fear of being unarmored and blind gigantic.

“Hey,” Lance says softly, squeezing my hands. “Trust me a  _ little _ , okay? I’ll keep you safe. I promise… I promise, okay? I won’t even leave the room if you don’t want me to. And if you don’t want to, we won’t, sound good? We can completely skip it. Just talk to me, okay?”

The problem is, he’s right. I’m exhausted and the armor is bulky and a nap sounds wonderful. But the idea of being out of my armor and comfortably asleep is just as terrifying as it is enticing. 

“Keith, talk to me. What’s the problem?”

“I’m scared…” I didn’t think the truth was going to be my excuse this time, but I guess it is. Oh well. Too late now. 

“Okay… Um… Is there anything I can do? I know I’m not the best person for the job, but I want to help if I can.”

“J-Just… Just don’t go…” I manage, letting go of one hand as I feel around the edge of my chest plate, unlatching it from my person. I unlatch it completely a moment later and slip it off of my shoulders. Though I have to completely break from Lance to do this, it’s not a full five seconds later before his hand slips back into mine. We continue this way until all of the plates are on the floor around me and I’m left in my jumpsuit. I can’t help but feel a little naked, Lance’s hand still laced with mine.

“Good job, Keith. I know that wasn’t easy for you. C’mere, I’m going to lead you to the bench so you can take a nap, alright? I’ll be right here if you need anything, okay? It’ll all work out. You’ll be just fine. Here… If you sit down, you’ll be right in the middle of the bench. There you go…”

I sit, and he guides my shoulders into a lying position. I’m shaking, but his hands move to hold mine, his thumbs rubbing over my knuckles. Honestly, with my eyes closed, it’s super relaxing and I can forget everything that has gone wrong today. I can’t forget that it’s Lance’s hands holding mine though, nor can I ignore the soft singing coming from him that makes all my worries melt. 

I don’t know if it’s just his voice or it’s him anymore, but I’m completely at ease and soon asleep.

 

A soft hand on my shoulder slowly shakes me awake. “Keith,” I hear, a gentle whisper that doesn’t startle me as much as it should. “Keith, wake up… it’s Lance… Wake up…”

Finally, when my eyes open and there’s nothing but darkness and it all comes rushing back that this wasn’t a nightmare, I  _ finally _ jerk fully awake. “Lance?” I gasp. The hand leaves my shoulder.

“Yep, it’s just me. Take a deep breath, it’s okay. It’s just Lance, you’re okay… The others have just finished up with the battle and Red appears to have healed herself, okay? There’s a planet only a varga or so away that has healing springs and tourist friendly hotels we can stay at, okay? I just wanted to wake you before we took off so you didn’t get freaked out by the new settings. You’ve been asleep a varga or so, so I figured it’d be okay.”

Shiro would definitely not have woken me. I’m not sure what I’m feeling, but I think it’s gratitude towards Lance. Knowing that I’m staying in the loop in his care is nice. However, the nausea growing in my stomach is not, especially not when I feel my whole body growing hotter by the second, a cold sweat breaking out on my face and neck. “Lance,” I whimper, feeling faint. If I could see, I know I’d be seeing stars.

“Oh, shit,” I hear him mutter, and I can physically feel him hesitate. I reach out my hand, wanting him to touch me, needing him to grab hold and let me know he’s really there. His hand slips into mine immediately, like that’s all he was waiting for. “That’s strange, but it’s okay, Keith. You’re okay, I think you’re just getting sick. Must be another side-effect of whatever caused you to go blind… It’ll be okay… Here…” I hear rustling and clanging, but Lance’s hand is still in mine so he must be working with one hand. “I’ve got the first aid kit out and a syringe full of cold medicine, okay?”

“Okay,” I shiver, feeling his hands gently grip my arm as the needle pierces my vein on the first try. How did I go to sleep feeling so safe only to wake up so sick? I wince as he withdraws the needle, feeling my body angrily trying to decipher what happened. Suddenly, the deep, primal tell that comes before you upchuck hits me hard and fast and I squeeze Lance's hand like a vise. “I'm going to vomit,” I enunciate carefully and clearly, trying to breathe deeply and put it off. 

“Oh shit,” Lance mutters again, his grip on my hand tightening again. “Mierda, mierda, mierda…” He hisses, tugging randomly on my arm, presumably looking for something appropriate for me to upchuck in. “Sonuvabitch... there's gotta be  _ something! _ Hold on, Keith… Aha! Barf bag!”

Which is convenient, because I definitely tossed my cookies two seconds later and I can't see it, but from the way it smells alone, I wouldn't want to have to clean it up. 

It takes me another minute to gather my composure again enough to realize Lance held my hair back for me and is now very lightly scratching my skull. It feels amazing. It's making me sleepy. I stifle most of a yawn but I can hear Lance chuckle.

“You just woke up,” he teases gently, but continues to scratch my scalp. “It's alright… Do you feel better now? There's no reason you can't go back to sleep if you do.”

I nod, my eyes already drifting shut. I don’t think I’ve ever fallen asleep so fast in my life.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Lance:**

I throw his barf bag out the airlock as soon as I’m sure he’s asleep. I’ve never seen him sleep before today… it’s a little disconcerting, if I’m honest. It’s one of those things you don’t even realize you’ve not seen until you’ve seen it, one of those things you didn’t question until it was brought to your attention. Keith sleeps like a turtle, not long after falling asleep curling up into the tightest little ball I’ve ever seen. He’s taller and longer than me, but I doubt I could curl up into a ball that small if I tried. It’s tight and tense and looks honestly painful. He grunts and mutters in his sleep too, no matter how fast asleep he is.

I turn to Red and begin to pilot her toward the planet the paladins and I had talked about. It was a mostly aquatic planet which is known for its healing springs. Diseases, viruses, and disabilities from things like the common cold, deafness, and cancer have been known to be cured by the water. Simply by coming in contact with it, things seem to fall back in place like they were never wrong in the first place. Pidge wants a scientific explanation but I just want it to work. I want Keith to get better. Or at least I want to give him to Shiro, so he’s more comfortable. It’s obvious he doesn’t want to be here with me, mostly because he doesn’t seem to know what to expect from me. Which I guess is legit because I don’t know what to expect from me either.

I look back over at him, thinking about how he honestly seemed to melt as soon as I started rubbing his head. I used to do it to my little siblings when they were sick and I didn’t even mean to do it really. I just… forgot. He didn’t seem to mind it, I guess.

I shake my head. It doesn’t matter. As soon as he gets his eyes back, everything will go back to normal. He won’t want to talk to me anymore and everything will be fine. 

Red purrs in my head, a rare sound for her. Blue purred at me all the time, but that’s mostly because she was generally an affectionate cat. She loved hearing about my day, what kind of music I enjoyed, who I loved and who I decidedly didn’t. She was the best sort of listener, but sometimes she talked about herself too. Those were my favorite conversations. 

I used to think Red wasn’t like that all. Red pretended not to care, not to listen. She didn’t want to know about me, or least I thought she didn't. She missed Keith, I knew, but it wasn’t that I was somehow less than Keith. I was just new and the way Keith was torn from her grasp wasn’t fair. She was angry about it. But once she realized that Keith would be okay in Black and she was actually hurting me, she really opened up, in her own way. She would listen. Especially if I talked about Keith. She cared for me too, asking if I remembered to do my face-mask before bed. If I had eaten dinner. If Keith had eaten dinner. It usually ended up coming back to Keith. But that was okay. She taught me a lot about him. And taught me quite a bit about myself too, but that’s okay.

She’s purring more now. A general feeling of pride and happiness rumbles through me, a snapshot of me leading Keith flashes in front of my eyes. Her favorite people, her kittens, the thought rolls to the forefront of my mind. Having us both here makes her genuinely happy. The fact we’re not fighting or upset at one another even more so.

I smile. “I’m glad you’re happy, Red. I think Keith would appreciate your support too. He really needs people he trusts right now, like you and Shiro. Also, thanks for changing back into what you looked like for Keith. He’ll really appreciate that when he has a minute to think about it.”

A thrill of alarm runs through me then and a flash of Keith in fear follows, so I turn the controls over to Red and turn to face toward the Paladin decked in red. 

Not two ticks later, Keith sits up, ramrod straight, clearing clamouring for breath, and the first word out of his mouth is laced in panic. “LANCE!” He gasps, hands tentatively searching the bench and area around him. “Lance?” He whimpers, as his search is unfruitful.

“Right here, Keith,” I say quietly, trying to gauge his reaction. “I’m about four feet to your left, in the pilot’s seat, okay? Red changed her internal appearance, so she’s just how you remember her being, okay?”

Without saying a word, he sticks a hand out toward me. Only then do I move, slipping my gauntlet off again and slowly encompassing his hand in my own. He lets out a huge breath as he squeezes my hand and his other hand investigates the top of my hand and wrist. 

I give him a minute of silence, before I softly ask, “Bad dream?”

Another moment of silence. A nod.

“Wanna talk about it?”

It’s quiet enough I can hear his mullet rustle as he shakes his head. I think Red’s turned off her blasters to listen to us. It’s oddly comforting.

“Okay.” Silence. “Are you feeling any better?”

A shake.

“Red was just talking about you.”

Keith doesn’t say a word, his grip on my hand still outrageously tight, but his head turns a little toward me, a silent ‘ _ go on, i’m listening’. _

“She misses you. Misses having you in her cockpit, misses talking with you, bonding with you. She’s really happy right now. Says it feels like having both of her kittens back.” I chuckle a little, despite myself. “She loves you. A lot, Keith. Even if I wasn’t dead set on keeping you safe, you know she would do everything in her power to keep you from harm.”

Keith chuckles a little, but turns a little green around gills when he does, so he stops fairly quickly. Slowly, his grip on my hand loosens, enough that feeling starts returning to my fingers.

“This planet that we’re headed towards, it’ll help, okay? It’s cured cancer before. And deafness. I don’t see why it wouldn’t heal you. It’s mostly aquatic, with basically no landmasses at all, which won’t make Red particularly happy, I suppose, but I can  _ feel _ Blue getting excited, remembering the first aquatic planet her and I went to.”

“It’s aquatic?” Keith whimpers, looking as though he might cry again. “No landmass?”

“Yeah, it’s mostly saltwater ocean. The natives have built  _ a  _ hotel on one of the landmasses, but the main attractions of the planet are either the water itself or under the water. They’ve made a completely eco-friendly system, so their waters will never get polluted or muddled. It’s going to be  _ super  _ cool.”

“I’ll… I’ll have to… have to swim?” Keith stumbles. Every word he says, I’m more convinced he’s going to vomit again.

“Yes, but I’ll be right there the entire time. I’ll help you, alright? And it won’t be for long. Allura booked us rooms in the hotel above water, so we won’t have to go under the waves. She wants time to figure out what went wrong with the lions back there. It’ll be okay. It’ll be  _ okay _ , alright? I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Keith shivers harshly, paling even more to the point where I’m convinced he’s going to vomit. I grab the bucket, setting slowly in his lap. He begins several sentences, but stutters his way to silence every time before he can get past the first word. 

“Can you swim, Keith?”

“N-No…”

“Okay, I’ll teach you then, deal? I’ll hold you up if nothing else, deal?”

Keith nodded slightly, seeming to be even more anxious than before.

“Do you want a hug, Keith?” I don’t even know why those words came out of my mouth. He doesn’t hug, and certainly not me. He doesn’t like me. He doesn’t want to be as close to me as he is now, not really. He hates me. Doesn’t matter that I have more respect for him than basically any of the other paladins. He hates me. He hates me. Why did I ask him for a hug? He hates me.

“Yes, please,” he whispers, his other arm reaching toward me. 

Absolutely in shock, I embrace him, surprized just how tightly he embraces me in return. It takes me a long moment to find my voice, but then I say, “If you vomit on me, one of us has to clean it up and it’s absolutely not going to be me.”

Keith huffs slightly in amusement, his face buried in my neck, soft hair pressed against my cheek. “But seriously, Keith, I won’t let you down. I won’t. Worse comes to worse, Shiro can always come and teach you to swim instead. Shiro would never steer you wrong, right?”

“Shiro can’t swim,” he murmurs, his breath shuddery on my skin. “I can at least sort of doggy-paddle, and he can’t even do that.”

“Okay, then I can teach you to swim. I’m an excellent swimmer, I’ll have you know.” The moment of quiet allows me to realize that Keith’s skin is  _ burning _ against my neck. “Keith, you said you weren’t really feeling any better. Are you feeling worse?”

Keith nuzzles into my neck, nodding. Coughing weakly, he says “I feel like shit… Everything aches… my stomach… my throat… my head… I didn’t wanna complain...” And he vomits again, all over me and the bench and the floor. This time his vomit is laced with blood.

“Oh, Keith…” I groan, scrambling to get my free hand on the med kit while still holding onto Keith’s arm, mostly because now that we’re no longer hugging he looks like he’s on the brink of collapse. I snag a antidote for nausea and fever symptoms, struggling to keep him upright and balanced. “This is gonna sting… Probably more than you’re expecting…” I feel a little sting of regret as I realize that I didn’t even ask if it’s okay first as I plunge the needle into his vein. Without pausing, I press cotton to the prick of blood and wrap it in gauze. Keith lolls over to the wall, miraculously not rolling even more into his own vomit. “Also, it’ll knock you clean out.”

Red sends a wave of mild disgust rolling through me and I roll my eyes. “Yeah, you care about your kittens so much that when their lives are on the line you complain about a little vomit,” I snap, knowing I’m probably overreacting considering how worried I am but seriously? It’s petty.

Red sends an apology in her own way, a wave of comfort lapping against my consciousness. She seems pretty confident in both Keith’s recovery and my abilities to heal him, but I’m not so sure. I put my helmet on, immediately accessing the comms. “Keith’s sick, and not getting better. He’s vomited twice in the past varga and he’s currently passed out. He’s still blind and I’m not sure how long the medication I gave him will last. I don’t want to cause any panic, but we need to step on it. I don’t know anything about poisons or medicine or you know anything that would be of use right now, but he’s not looking too good.”

“Let’s go then,” Shiro’s voice crackles through the comms. Red is currently towing the other four lions behind her, seeing as she’s the only one that’s managed to get her act together, but I throw the thrusters into max. Red groans and growls in the back of my mind but she pulls forward.  _ For Keith,  _ is the resounding thought.  _ For Keith. _

“For Keith,” I echo, knowing that I’m the only one to hear it. I begin cleaning up Keith’s mess, trying to get the smell of bile and whatever Keith last ate out of the cockpit.

We land on the planet an hour later, even though our original ETA was almost a five full hours. I almost want to say sorry to Red, since I know I’m pushing her too hard, especially since she says he’ll be fine, but I can’t make myself apologize, when everytime I look over my shoulder Keith looks more scared and in pain.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith takes a dip.

**Keith:**

When I wake, my head is pounding, but my stomach feels better. The world is still dark, an expansive, mysterious, and utterly empty. I feel a little like a broken record, the first word out of my mouth, “Lance?” but stick my hand out into space invitingly nonetheless. I know that he waits for me to make sure it’s okay, and I can’t help but appreciate it.

“Nope. But his replacement is even better!” An all too familiar female voice chirps.

“Pidge?” I ask, hoping I’m right, because if I’m not I will literally never hear the end of it.

“You bet your miserable ass! I’m working on untangling this mess of a poison and its effects in your mess of DNA. Nobody else really has any medical knowledge here, except what little I have, but I guess it’ll be enough for this. It’ll have to be.”

“W-Where’s Lance?” I can’t help it. I don’t know where Pidge is, I don’t know where I am, I don’t know where Red or Blue are… I need more answers.

“Relax, Lance is taking a nap in Red. We’re currently sitting in Blue on the surface of the planet. She likes the water best out of all of them, and floats best too. The water seems to be doing nice things for the lions anyway, so they’ve all taken a dip. Blue just was most inclined to stay. We’ve been waiting for you to wake up before we try dunking you in the water. Lance mentioned that you don’t know how to swim, which is basically the only reason I haven’t thrown you in yet.”

I feel a shiver race up my spine at the thought. “Where’re the others?”

“Shiro should be coming down in Black momentarily. Coran and Hunk are in Yellow talking over where we could get materials for a new Castle, Allura’s watching over Green with Romelle and Lance is sawing logs in Blue. If you’re really interested, I know Kaltenecker was last seen in Blue as well as the mice. Kosmo is in Black. Everyone is safe and accounted for.”

I let out a sigh of relief. It’s hard to express just how much better knowing that alone makes me feel. “Shiro’s coming?” I can’t help but be a bit hopeful.

“Only so I can look after him too. He’s suffering a pretty severe concussion right now and again, I’m the only one with any sort of medical prowess. Besides, everyone else is busy. Allura is working with Romelle on reconstructing what exactly happened in the past 10,000 years, Hunk and Coran are busy, Shiro’s hurt, you’re a mess, and Lance has been and probably will continue to be looking after you. He thought you might be more comfortable staying with him, but then decided against it because he was scared he might not wake up if you needed him.”

“He’s coming back though, right? To help me swim?” The concept of jumping into an ocean with anyone of than Lance was enough to send thrills of panic coursing through me.

“Actually, I just woke him up a minute ago, so he’ll be down in a minute. Relax. You’ll be fine. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so scared, Keith. Just being blind does this to you?”

I nod. How else am I supposed to respond? There’s no easy way to explain my childhood. No easy way to explain how terrifyingly empty the dark is. No time, either.

“Jeez, Keith.” She sounds sympathetic, but also unconcerned.

I can’t wait til Lance gets here. Or Shiro, although Shiro sounds like he’s in a worse spot than I am.

    I yelp as I sense someone come into my bubble. “Keith, take a deep breath. Let your anxiety ebb away for a minute. It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay…" I really wish Pidge would have told me Lance was  _right there_. Lance would have told me that. Tentatively, I hold out my hand. His hand is soft against mine, limp and warm.  


“That’s good, Keith. Good. Calm down. Deep breaths. We’ve got bigger fish to fry right now, okay?”

    Right. I'm supposed to get into the water. Where I can't see, can't feel, and can't hear what's around me. Right. Right.

    “First, we’ve got to go get swimsuits on. I don’t have mine on yet either. I’m going to let you borrow a pair of mine, deal? Shiro was supposed to bring a pair of yours down with him, but I think he’s got too many other things on his mind at the moment.”

    “Okay.”

    I don’t want to change into trunks in front of him. “Keith, I know you don’t like this, but it’s a necessary evil. I’ll bet you can do it all yourself. I promise I won’t look, okay? You’re safe. I’ll keep you safe.” His mind-reading is beginning to get a little scary, but again, he’s spot on. His words are  _ exactly _ what I need to hear. I nod, choosing to believe him, to trust him. “Follow me, okay?” I follow him.    


“Keith, I know you don’t probably care all that much at the moment, but I’d like to point out that you’re one of the bravest, strongest people I know. You go through a lot of shit, man, and you’re still swinging and I think that you don’t always know just how strong you are. Just, you know, PSA.”

    I feel a blush crawl into my cheeks and my ears burn. “Thanks, Lance.”

    He doesn’t know the half of it, but it feels nice to hear someone like him, who has also been through more than his fair share of shit, say that I’m still somehow doing okay.

    “You’re welcome,” he says, and it sounds warm. Suddenly, I’m aware of often we don’t talk like this. How often we argue and bicker and refuse to accept we’d never  _ actually _ fight against each other. I make a mental note to speak more kindly to him.

    “Here, you can use these for now. They should fit just fine… Here, I’ll close my eyes so you can take your jumper off, okay? I’m holding the trunks in the way so if you grab them from me, they’ll be ready for you to put on. I won’t open my eyes. I won’t.”

I sigh and nod. Tears are welling in my eyes, but both of us are blind, so what does it matter? I quickly unzip the jumper and strip my boxers. I reach out for Lance, jumping a little when I find his steady hands. Shakily, I take the trunks from him and put them on, fumbling all the way. They’re a little baggy, but I’d much rather too baggy than too tight. I can’t tie them without looking, though, so quietly, I say, “Lance…”

“Nice work, Keith… Oh, do you want help tying that?”

“Yes, please.”

Lance gently pries the drawstrings from my fingers and ties them tight. Everytime his knuckles brush against my stomach, I can’t help but jump, but Lance seems unbothered or hasn’t noticed. Either way, he finishes and then I hear rustling. He must be changing into trunks himself.

“Let's go over by the edge now. We won't get in yet, don’t worry. I’ll teach you how to tread water, and then I’ll get in, then you’ll get in, alright? We’re not actually swimming anywhere, so doggy paddle will do just fine for now. It’ll be all fine, alright? I promise. I’ll be right beside you the entire time, and everything will be just fine.”

I nod. How is it that I’ve had slept more in the past two days than in the past week, but these feel like the most overwhelming days of my life? “I trust you,” I murmur again. “I trust you, Lance.” I don’t know why I’m saying it, why it’s suddenly so important for him to know.

“Thanks, Keith,” he says softly, squeezing my hands and tugging me forward gently. “I’m glad. I won’t let you down.”

I feel the breeze and the sun(s?) as we step out of the protection of Blue. I can smell the water, hear it crash softly against Blue’s exterior. “You good, Keith?”

“Yeah…”

“That’s good. Let’s sit down, okay?”

“Okay.” I sit cross-legged, feeling behind me to make sure there’s nothing in the way.

“Keith, remember how you were just saying how much you trust me?”

That makes an uncomfortable sort of anxiety sit in my stomach. “Yes?”

“You’re going to have to remember that, okay? The easiest way to teach you how to tread is to grab your ankles and show you. It seems kinda dumb and feels even more so, I know. But it really does work, okay? You might not think so at first, but it really is how to tread. It'll keep you afloat. Sound good?"

    A deep, warm, kind of relief washes over me. That is _so_ much better than I thought it was going to be. “Sounds just fine to me, Lance.”  


“That’s good, Keith. I’m going to grab your ankles now, alright?”

“Okay.”

Lance’s hands slip from mine, and for a moment there’s nothing telling me what’s happening. Then, soft fingers grip my ankles and I can’t help but shiver a little. “Go ahead and lay on your back. You don’t have to move; there’s plenty of space. Just let your legs go limp, and I’ll show you the general movement. Once you think you’ve got it, let me know and I’ll let go. Then, I’ll ask you to show me up here, then we’ll go from there. Sound good?”

“That sounds okay,” I murmur, feeling oddly serene. It must be the ocean air.

Lance gently starts to move my legs, and I work to memorize the pattern, the careful pause between each kick. It’s not a hard pattern at all, and reminds me a bit of a frog’s movement. Manageable and memorable. I add my muscle to each kick, silently telling Lance I’m getting it.

“Do you think you’ve got it?”

I nod.

“Excellent. I want to make sure you’ve got it so please show me.”

I do, kicking a couple times just like he showed me. I hear him sigh in relief, and his hand creeps slowly into mine, giving me plenty of time to pull away, should I want to. I don’t, though, his hand warm and soft in mine. There’s something very grounding about holding hands, very reassuring.

“Now, I’m going to get into the water, then you can get in after me. Does that sound manageable?” I can feel how badly he wants this to work, for me to be okay, radiating off of him.

“Okay.” I don’t know where all my fear and anxiety went. It feels like I’m empty, like he somehow managed to push pause on the panic and trepidation I had stored away. Or maybe I’ve just spent so much time the past few days scared and anxious that I’ve got nothing more left. Either way, Lance tugs me upright, then guides me toward the edge. I hear him slide into the water with a soft  _ ker-plunk _ , his hand still holding mine.

“Now, it’s your turn, Keith. The edge is about three inches from your toes, directly in front of you. Good, Keith…” He murmurs, as I mindlessly slip my toes, then feet, and then calves into the water. The water isn’t cold or warm, but perfectly mid-temperature and it tingles as it soaks into my skin.

It should bother me more than it does, but I really can’t muster up the energy now. “Keith, wait a tick.”

I pause, waiting for Lance to continue. “Are you okay?”

I don’t know. I shake my head, figuring no is probably a solid answer considering the circumstances.

“Then let’s wait until you are.”

“I just wanna see again. I just… I hate not knowing what’s coming.” I feel tears well up in my eyes again. It’s the truth. “I’m okay… Let’s get this over with.” Before I can really, fully process what I’m doing, I slip into the water.

It takes a second for the panic to set in, but soon I’m yelling for Lance and trying to tread like he explained.

“Keith, calm down. You’re okay. Relax and kick in time with your breathing. The water is already purging your system and it won’t be long until we can get out, okay? Just breathe… Are you feeling any better?”

I focus on Lance’s words, on the gentle pressure of Lance’s hands around mine. “Yes… But I still can’t see anything.”

“Good, Keith, good… That’s really good.” I can tell from the way he pauses that he has a further suggestion that I would definitely  _ not _ enjoy.

“What is it?” I demand, more anxiously than I would have liked, feeling the water whisk away my nausea, my headache, my chills. I just want it to whisk away my blindness so I can get out, hug Lance for putting up with me and my bullshit, and get on with life.

“I’m wondering if dunking your head, and consequently your eyes, underwater might be the trick.”

I just close my eyes and take a deep breath. Before Lance is ready, I dunk myself, promptly kicking like mad to get back above the waves. Lance helps pull me back up, and hoists my back up onto Blue, but unlike with everything else, my eyesight does not immediately improve. Everything is still dark. I wait a moment, giving the water and my body time to fix itself, to pull itself together, but nothing happens. Nothing changes.

Tears well in my eyes.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a longer section as an apology for waiting so long to post it...
> 
> It needed editing and I was simply too lazy to edit it :)
> 
> Hope you enjoy!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance gets beaten and Keith steps up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LOTS OF WHUMP PLEASE BE CAREFUL IF SENSITIVE

**Lance:**

_It didn’t work. Oh crow, it didn’t work._ It’s all I can think, treading slowly in the water beside Blue. _Oh no… Oh no oh no oh no oh no..._

“I’m… I’m sorry,” I manage, oddly more emotional about this that he is. I can see him beginning to cry and it’s making me want to cry. “I’m sorry, Keith… I shouldn’t have gotten your hopes up… I’m so sorry…”

Both of us, quietly crying, sat there, on Blue, for a long time.

Than literally the worst possible thing that could have happened happened. As in I can literally not picture a worse scenario at this juncture in time.

A tractor beam picks both of us and Blue up out of the water. We’re in swimming trunks. We don’t have our helmets; therefore, we don’t have our comms and literally _nothing_ can make this worse. I can’t leave to go get our helmets, because Keith. I can’t possibly explain what’s happening without Keith having a mental breakdown, which is fair, because if I think too long and hard about what’s happening I’ll have one too.

“Keith, we’re in trouble!” I yell, grabbing his hand and tugging him behind me, running for Blue’s cockpit. I have to get to my helmet, I have to radio the others, I have to fix this. Keith doesn’t deserve this. I _have_ to get us out of here.

“Okay!” He yelps, stumbling but definitely doing better than I’d be doing at keeping up with me. He doesn’t ask questions, doesn’t fight me, just trusts that I’m not going to deceive him.

I skid to a halt as I make it to my helmet, slamming that shit on my head as fast as I can. “GUYS WE’RE IN TROUBLE! SOMETHING’S HAPPENING! WE’RE BEING KIDNAPPED I DON’T KNOW HOW TO FIX THIS! KEITH IS STILL BLIND! WE NEED HELP!”

I wince as Keith stiffens beside me. I assume he had guessed as much, but that doesn’t make it any better. “I’m sorry, Keith… We’ll be okay, alright? I’ll keep us safe. Blue stops moving and I can tell we’ve reached our destination. I don’t hear anything on the comms, which is a terrible feeling.

How long will we be gone before the other paladins even notice?

“What about Pidge? And… And Shiro? Aren’t they still here?” Keith brings up a good point.

“I… I don’t… I don’t know, Keith… I thought Pidge talked about moving Shiro to the hotel and stuff, but I don’t know for sure what happened. Let’s go see if they’re still here.”

Slowly, we creep down to where I last saw Pidge and Shiro. They’re not there. We look a little more, but to no avail. Pidge and Shiro are not on Blue. “Keith, they’re not here.”

Keith sighs, and for a moment I can’t tell if it’s in relief or sadness. It _would_ be nice to have someone else here, other than just the two of us. But it’s in relief, and I can’t but agree. It’s also infinitely comforting to know the other three, possibly four paladins if Shiro can pilot, are still out there and ready to come get us.

Blue purrs in my mind, in a way she hasn’t done for a long time. It feels like an invitation, so I close my eyes and concentrate on our bond. She lets me see through her eyes.

The ship, _shockingly_ , is Galran, and Blue is completely surrounded by rows and rows and rows of Galra soldiers. They aren’t wearing their normal armor though, and it occurs to me that they made armor specifically to counteract Blue’s powers.

I could go to the pilot’s seat and see if Blue would let me wreak some havoc, but I can also see through Blue’s eyes a cannon. I’m not sure if Blue could take a hit from a weapon like that. I’ve never seen one like that before, so I don’t know. And assumptions make an ass outta you and me.

“Keith, I don’t know the best course of action here. We’re on a Galra ship, alone, surrounded by Galrans who armed to the fangs and seem to be wearing armor to neutralize Blue’s ice powers. Blue is willing to let me pilot her, but there’s a cannon trained right at us and I don’t know if Blue could take a shot like that from so close. We can’t risk damaging Blue, but we don’t have food on board and again, we can’t risk them getting through Blue’s forcefield.”

“So, you’re saying the best course of action is to give ourselves up?” Keith whispered, the hand holding mine shaking rapidly.

“I’m saying that’ll probably make them the least volatile and most likely to wait a few quintants to kill us. Give the others a chance to help.”

“They might not even know we’re gone yet, Lance. Nobody responded to your radio call.” I feel the _oh shit_ in my bones. I had hoped Keith wouldn’t notice. But he did.

“That’s just a risk we’ll have to take. Again, we’re more likely to survive if they don’t have to beat us into submission first.” I drop my helmet back where it was. No point in taking the future Blue paladin down with me.

“You’re right,” Keith says finally, after pondering for a moment. “Let’s do it.”

We walk out together, me leading Keith by the hand, and I watch as every gun in the room sets its sights on us. I throw my hands up. “No tricks,” I say, loud enough for those closest to me to hear. “We surrender.”

I spot the Galra in charge a moment later, who is rapidly conferring with another officer.

Then I realize the problem.

We may be out of Blue, but Blue still has her forcefield thrown up and appears to fully intend to keep it up. We may be surrendering, but Blue is not. I give her a pointed look. The shield comes down a moment later, then up again around herself, close to her body.

I raise my hands, lifting one of Keith’s with mine so he knows what to do. “We surrender without a fight in hopes of reasonably fair treatment. Keith was injured in the last fight. He got a really bad head injury where for periods of time he’s completely insensible. He’s blind and can’t care for himself.” I subtly wince as Keith squeezes my hand tighter than a vise. It’s a big exaggeration, but if I make Keith sound like a lot of work, they might just leave him with me to care for. It’s a long shot, but it’s worth it. “We don’t expect kindness or mercy.” If the Galra think we expect any kind of mercy, then any chance of us being in the same cell goes out the window.

“Kneel.” The gravelly voice has no inflection, no clue as to our fate.

It occurs to me now that they could just shoot us and that’d be the end. I doubt Blue could move fast enough to save us. We’d just be dead. Keith would die blind. But the thought does not stop me from dropping to my knees immediately, pulling Keith down with me.

Fortunately, immediate, painful death is not the plan, and several Galra surround us and cuff us. There’s another circle of Galra surrounding them, all of them with various guns trained on the two of us. They didn’t seem to hear me when I said “No tricks,” but that’s okay.

When they separate Keith and I, I’m suddenly glad I said Keith had periods of insensibility because he freaks out, yelling incomprehensible noises and crying, and they react with disgust, shoving him down. “IT’S NOT HIS FAULT! I TOLD YOU HIS HEAD IS MESSED UP! WHY DO YOU THINK WE WERE ON THAT STUPID-ASS PLANET, FOR A LITTLE VACATION!? WHEN HE GETS STRESSED HE GOES NUTS! DON’T HURT HIM!” I yell, mentally begging Keith to calm down.

One of the Galra rams the butt of the gun into my stomach, effectively silencing me, but they treat Keith a little more gently now, simply restraining him until he realizes he can’t fight them and that resisting will get neither of us anywhere.

Without a word, they drag us down a hall and throw us into a cell.

I don’t need to ask to know that Keith wants me to touch him, wants me to comfort him. Goodness knows I can’t comfort him, but I can get close and let him know I’m still here.

I press up against his side, my wrists and ankles being cuffed meaning that this is best I can do. I know it’s not enough, but he cuddles into my side anyway, shivering. “I’m sorry for freaking out earlier,” he whispers. I can’t tell if he’s watching his wording for fear of cameras or not. I lay my head on top of his, where it’s laying on my shoulder.

“It’s okay, Keith. It’ll be okay. We’ll be okay.” The words seem repetitive and meaningless, but I say them anyway. “Keith?” There’s something deadly serious that we have to talk about.

“What?” His voice betrays his anxiety, incredibly tight and high-pitched.

“If they come for one of us, you’re going to say nothing, do nothing. You’re gonna to let me be obnoxious. I’m going to do whatever I have to, say whatever I have to to make sure they don’t lay a hand on you, understand?” My voice is as quiet as I can get it, to discourage eavesdroppers.

Keith shivers violently just then, somehow scooching even closer to me. “You don’t have to do that. You shouldn’t do that.”

“Keith, you’re in no position to argue, okay? I know, in theory you’d be fine. But, it would scare you too much, alright? It’ll all turn out okay. I know you would rather be the person in the line of fire, but it’s okay to not end up hurting for once, okay? I’m okay with this. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be demanding it. Trust me, okay? Trust me to keep you safe.”

He shudders, nuzzling me softly. “Thanks, Lance.”

“You’re more than welcome, alright? You’re gonna be okay. I’m going to make sure you are.”

“Lance…” Keith begins, and when I glance down his cheeks are dark red. “I…”

Unfortunately, at that exact moment, a guard comes in the room. “Time to get some answers.”

I don’t have a chance to sweet-talk our captors, don’t need to. It seems they have no intention of messing with Keith, as he’s a nutcase anyway. They lift me by the arms and drag me out of the cell, and I can hear Keith crying softly as the doors slam shut.

 

I don’t know how long I’m tortured, but it’s too damn long. I haven’t been beaten like that in a long time, and from where I hang by my wrists, I can’t find a spot on my body that doesn’t ache, burn, or sting. Everything is pain, but it’s not unbearable.

If I were to guess my major hindering injuries, I’d say I have a broken nose, two black eyes, split lips, several broken or cracked ribs, and at least five broken fingers and toes. One of my hips is definitely dislocated. There’re four deep knife cuts on each of my limps, each at least two feet long. Of course, there’s an assortment of innumerable bruises and minor cuts. On top of all that, I have annoying headache.

But, I’m alive and as far as I know, Keith is safe and that’s all that matters.

My consciousness slips in and out as they drag me roughly back to our cell. At least, I hope it’s back to our cell. I can’t really tell one way or another, everything that I can see blurry and tinged with pain.

They throw me to the ground, not bothering to cuff me. I’ve been thoroughly searched for weapons and I’m too weak to cause anyone any strife. What surprises me, however, is that they also uncuff Keith, who’s sitting in the corner of the cell, looking very scared.

I can’t keep my eyes open and I let the darkness take me as the cell door slams shut.

 

“Lance… Lance, please wake up…” A raspy, hurting voice says softly. Keith had moved along the wall, closer to me, but wasn’t touching me. “Lance, I don’t know what’s wrong and I can’t see you and you’ve been unconscious for too long…”

“Keith?” I manage, my voice raspier than his. “Keith… I’m awake… It’s okay… I’m okay.” I’m probably almost certainly not okay, but that’s not important right now. “I’m right here…” Keith’s hand extends toward me, and despite my cuts and scrapes and bruises and brokenness, I reach up and back and grab his hand. He sobs quietly, his hands crawling gently up my arm until he reaches me, one hand going to make sure he can sit by my side. There’s something enchanting about the way he moves, the care he takes in every step of the way, even if he’s sobbing. It’s an abnormal look on the usually impulsive paladin.

He sits by my side, hand holding mine. Weakly, with my other hand I grab his free hand and set it on my neck, so he can feel my pulse. “Keith, it’s okay.” The hand moves to cup my cheek, feather-soft fingertips gently exploring my skin for imperfections and injuries.

“What hurts most?” Keith asks in his practical way.

“My leg… I think my hip is dislocated. It hurts… a lot.” To the point where thinking about him touching my leg makes me want to cry right now. “Too much to bother with.” I don’t want him to breathe near it, much less fix it.

Unfortunately… “Lance, I can fix it. I’ve done it a million times. One of my foster-dads’ hip used to pop out all the time and it was my responsibility, for better or worse, to pop it back in. Let’s do that first. That’s a painful pop and a long recovery, so might as well get you started now, alright?”

Whether it’s because the circumstance demands it, or he’s gotten used to flying without a visual, or it’s because he’s a natural-born leader so it’s in his blood, I sigh in relief as he starts taking charge a little. “Okay,” I say, mentally preparing myself for the agony that’s coming.

Keith carefully, feeling his way with his hands, crawls around to my other side.

He picks up my leg. Immediately, I’m grunting and panting, trying to not scream or yell, but it only gets worse. He moves my leg around a little, testing the joint and prodding the muscles. It’s clear he’s done this before, just by the confident way he moves and the cold, calculating way that my movement or noise doesn’t affect him at all.

He gets so he’s on his knees, then puts his right knee up and sets my knee across his. I begin to scream, it hurts _so_ bad, but Keith doesn’t stop, hardly even blinks. With the balance and strength that I imagine only comes from repetition, he puts his other foot in my armpit. Oh, crow I know what he’s going to do and a horribly ragged cry is torn from me as he begins putting pressure on my foot, which in turn is pulling my hip. His foot in my armpit forces my body to stay where it is; I can’t believe this agony. Crow, it hurts so bad and I can’t stop the terrible screams coming out of me. I can’t even see through my tears and the only words I can manage are swear words.

The pain gets worse and worse and worse, then climaxes with a _POP_ and I cry as, more gently now, Keith maneuvers my leg, checking to make sure he did it right. It still hurts terribly, but not like before. He fixed it.

“Sorry, Lance,” he whispers, listening to me try to stop crying. Carefully, his hands reach toward my face, his judgement holding true as his fingertips brushed my cheeks. Gently, he wipes my tears, putting my head in his lap as he pulls me back toward the wall. He must have circled the cell a thousand times while I was gone, because he knows where the wall is and gently leans me up against it. “It should stop hurting quite so bad pretty soon, okay?” He’s on my other side again, although when he moved I have no idea. His hands slip quietly into mine.

After a moment, I am able to pull myself together, just in time for another surprise.

Both of us jump when something slams and a box flies into the room and hits me in the side, right in the ribs. I keen quietly, handing the box to Keith. “I… I think it’s a first aid kit, Keith… I think they want me to get all wrapped up and shit, alright? I… I could really use your help, okay? I’m sorry I- “

“Of course, Lance,” Keith interrupts. “Any… Anything you need. I want to help.” His voice is incredibly gentle, but also eager. It seems to have subtitles, _there will be no mistake; I_ need _to help._ I squeeze his hands, before releasing them and bracing them against the ground.

“This has been the worst day ever.” Keith’s voice is very small and frustrated.

“I agree. This sucks. But we’ll get through it, Keith. We will… Okay… I… I got the box open… and I got the bandages out… I think… I think I need stitches for some of these, but let’s make do with bandages for now, alright? Shiro or Pidge can give me stitches later. I’ve got… pretty big cuts down my arms and legs and one on my chest that’s a little too big for comfort… Here.” I gently place the roll of bandaging in his left hand, the end of the roll in his right. “The way I handed it to you, it’ll go right, under, and up on the left, okay?”

Keith nods, tentatively setting the end on his lap in favor of feeling my arm for the cut. It doesn’t take him long to find it with his gentle touch. I hiss a little as he applies a little pressure to it, but he nods decidedly and begins to wrap

I had no clue how instinctively good at this he would be, but the truth is _very_. He wraps my right arm slowly, taking his time to feel and make sure ever wrap goes exactly where he wants it. The tightness is perfect, not tight enough to cut off circulation, but not loose enough to slip. He does the same with my other arm, not going around but reaching over me cautiously.

Again, although even more tentatively than before, he reaches out again to feel my wound, reaching for where he’s guessing my chest is. He’s pretty accurate, but I give him a bit of a nudge, and his feather-light fingers trace down the edges of the cut.

“Is there tape in the box? And rags or antibacterial cream or something? The cuts on your arms weren’t too deep and from what I can tell, were pretty clean… This cut is deep and your chest is dirty.”

I dig through the box, coming up with nothing as far as anything to clean with goes. It’s clear every item in the box was thought over and decided by the ones who gave it to us and they didn’t give us anything more than what they felt like they had to. We could use the remaining bandage, but I think that that might be a mistake. “There’s nothing to clean with in here… There is some tape though.”

Keith nods and before I can even really process what he’s doing, he rips one of the cargo-pants-like pockets off the outside of his- well, my - swimming trunks. The outside of the pocket isn’t particularly clean, but the inside is still damp with healing water and I realize a half-tick later just how genius Keith really is.

He pats the pocket on my chest, squeezing the rest of the still-perfect-temperature water onto me. There’s not enough for the cut to completely heal, but it looks as though I got clawed by a kitten now, instead of attack with a huge knife.

“Thanks, Keith.”

His eyes flick up toward my voice by habit alone and his cheeks tinge pink. “Sorry I ripped your trunks.”

“No, that was pure, unadulterated genius. I don’t know if I ever would have thought of that. Thank you.”

Part of me wants to see if he’ll accept my compliment or waive it away. Part of me hopes he doesn’t and I get more reason to gush over him and prove my point. His cheeks get even darker, closer to a red now and he looks… nervous?

“You’re welcome,” he murmurs. “Lance?” I get the sense that he’s been thinking this over for a hot minute and it’s really important that he says what’s on his mind.

“Yeah?” I keep my voice calm and quiet.

“I’m… I’m really glad it’s you here with me.”

My cheeks turn almost as red as his. Even though we’re stuck in a galra prison with no way out, possibly no rescue, and Keith’s blind, that makes me giddy. I can’t help but smile hugely. “That’s… Thanks, Keith.” I can’t even summon the words to describe how absolutely adorable he looks, how earnest. I can’t even begin to comprehend how big of a compliment that is, can’t imagine how we went from always bickering to this. In attempts to lighten the mood, I say, “It’s probably because of my stunning good looks, right?”

Keith smiles and honestly it’s a beautiful day. The sun is shining, the crops are bountiful, and the common cold has been cured. I want him to smile forever. “Something like that,” Keith says, his hand, which is still resting on my chest as anchor, beginning to travel around to my ribs. His other hand joins on the other side.

The smile that made the sun rise vanishes as he presses firmly into my ribs, testing to see which ones are truly broken. Some of them are simply cracked, so it doesn’t hurt too bad, but then he finds a broken one and I can’t help but yell.

“Sorry,” he murmurs, mentally making note of which one is broken. “I think only this rib is broken. The rest, I think, are fine.”

“Sorry,” I echo, feeling a little silly for yelling. “Thanks.”

“Stop thanking me, alright? I get it. I know you’re grateful. So does everyone else, alright?” The words sound familiar, but it takes me a minute to remember _I’m_ the one who said them. To him. Like, twelve vargas ago. A hint of a smile plays on his lips and I can’t help but smile too. “Alright… You said you had cuts on your legs?”

I grab his hands, gently leading them to my right leg. He feels the cut carefully, before waiting expectantly. I wince a little, remembering with crystal clarity the last time I let him near my left leg, but guide his hands nonetheless.

“These just need bandaging,” he says fairly confidently.

Then the cell door slams open and I see what the Galra is holding.


End file.
